Dehydrator



July 30, 1957' s. o. SELDER DEHYDRATOR Y Filed Aug. 11, 1953 Fig i i! M R. m m w.

Y Sawyer 0. Se/a'er Y Aff'y W United States Patent f DEHYDRATOR Sawyer O. Selder, Fresno, Calif.

Application August 11, 1953, Serial No. 373,592

6 Claims. (Cl. 263-33) The present invention relates to improvements in a dehydrator, audits principal object is to provide a dehydrator particularly adapted to reduce waste products of canneries or farms, such as beet tops, fruits, cantaloupes, beet pulp, tomato pulp, orange pulp, or other products of the farm, such as alfalfa, potatoes, lettuce, spinach, or the like, by a process of combined heat and pressure.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a dehydrator of the character described that is simple in construction, economic in operation and portable to make it adaptable for use on individual farms, and for transportation from farm to farm, so that one machine may be used to serve the needs of a number of different farms .or canneries.

It is further proposed to provide a machine of the char- .acter described, in which the material comes out of the machine perfectly dry, retains all of its original values, such as vitamins, chlorophyls, and the like, and is reduced to a very fine state, particularly well adapted for handling and marketing to serve as food for human consumption or as cattle feed, as the case may be.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will appear as the specification proceeds, and the new and novel features of'my dehydrator will be fully defined in the claims attached hereto.

The preferred form of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, forming part of this application in which:

Figure 1 shows a top plan view of my dehydrator;

Figure 2, a side elevation of the same;

. Figure 3, a front end view of the machine, with a preliminary crusher added thereto; and

Figure 4, a perspective detail view of the crusher used in connection with my dehydrator.

-While I have shown only the preferred form of my invention, it should be understood that various changes or modifications may be made within the scope of the claims hereto attached without departing from the spirit of the invention.

"Referring to the drawing in detail, my dehydrator comprises in its principal features, a frame 1, a pair of cylin- "ders 2 revolvably mounted thereon in adjacent relation,

yielding means for urging one of the cylinders toward the .other, means for revolving the cylinders toward one necting the'upper ends of the legs at the ends of the r me l Any suitable bracing elements connecting the legs longitudinally may, of course, be addedfor strength. The entire frame is preferably dimensioned for accommodation on atruck for easy portability.

Patented July 30, 1957 Each of the cylinders is hollow and is mounted upon a hollow shaft 6 which extends axially through the cylinded throughout the entire length thereof and beyond both ends, the cylinder being permanently secured upon the shaft by means of spokes 7 at each end, the spokes being arranged to leave ample clearance between the cylinder and the shaft for escape of products of combustion, as hereinafter explained. The shafts are open at their front ends and closed at their rear ends.

One of the cylinder shafts is revolvably mounted in fixed bearings 8 located on the front and rear top members 5 of the frame. The other cylinder shaft is revolvabiy mounted in slidable bearings 9 secured upon the same top members for movement toward and away from the first set of bearings. Suitably positioned springs 10 serve to urge the second set of bearings toward the first set, and the tension of these springs may be adjusted by means of screws 10' to produce different pressures for different materials.

The bearings are located on the front and rear members to bring the cylinders into parallel and contacting relation, with the springs 10 allowing the second cylinder to retreat from the first cylinder sufficiently to allow material to pass between the cylinders, when fed from above.

The cylinders are revolved in opposite directions, that is, toward one another as viewed from above, by any suitable drive, which is here shown as comprising a motor 11, suitably mounted at one end of the frame, a belt drive 12 between the motor and a stub shaft 13 mounted in the frame bearing 14, and a gear dn've between the latter shaft and one of the cylinders, the latter drive comprising a pinion 15 on the stub shaft and a large gear wheel 16 mounted on one of the cylinder shafts, the drives being designed to reduce the speed of the cylinder as compared with that of the motor shaft.

The driven cylinder drives the other cylinder through intermeshing gears 17, the teeth of which engage sufficiently deep to compensate for a slight movement of one cylinder away from the other in the operation of the machine.

The hollow shafts are intended to shoot gas flames against the inner face of the cylinders, and are formed with numerous perforations 18 for the discharge of a combustible mixture.

The perforations in each shaft do not extend clear to the ends of the cylinders, but are spaced therefrom, as shown, and the spacing of the perforations from the ends of the cylinders should be nicely balanced to prevent live flame from belching through the open ends of the cylinders, while products of combustion may be freely discharged therethrough.

' Gas, preferably butane gas for field operations, is fed into the hollow shafts through pipes 19 supported in posts 20 rising from plates 21 forming part of the frame structure. The pipes terminate in nozzles or jets 22 extending into the hollow shafts to a desired depth, the nozzles discharging through their tips 23. v

The nozzles and pipes are of a diameter much smaller than that of the hollow shafts, so that air may be drawn in freely from around the pipes and the nozzles to support combustion.

The position of the tip of the nozzle within the shaft is of considerable importance to insure even distribution of the flame through the length of the cylinder, and in order to secure proper adjustment of the nozzle within the shaft, I make each of the pipes 19 slidable in its post while providing suitable means, such as a set screw 24 for locking the pipe in adjusted position.

The perforations are preferably arranged in succes sive spirals in the shaft wall, to insure substantially even distribution of thefiames in all directions.

Each pipe is provided with a suitable shut-0E valve 25, and the two pipes may be fed from a main pipe 26 through flexible branch conduits 27. p

The pipes and nozzles are intended to be positioned centrally-with respect to the hollow shafts,- but I find in actual practice that slight departuresfromcentral position due to relative movement of the-cylinderswill not impair the successful operationof the machine.

The material is squeezed and dried while-passing between the cylinders, and it adheres to the latter until it is removed by'the scrapers -30. 'The latter are preferably located along the rising faces of the cylinders, somewhat above the central plane of thecylinders, and comprise angle irons substantially equal in'length to'the cylinders and having projecting pins '31 pivoted 'in yoke-shaped "frames'32 mounted'upon the ends of the main frame.

The edge of one flange of each angle iron bears on its cylinderand"is:suitably sharpened to scrape off material adhering to the cylinder as the latter rotates.

The other flange of the angle iron has a series of arms 33 projecting outwardly thereon, and the outer ends of the arms are anchored to cables 34 secured to the lower portion of the frame, the cables having springs 35 incorporated therein for urging the cutting edges of the scrapers upon the cylinders, and turn-buckles for adjusting the springtension.

In case the material to be 'dried and pulverized is too heavy for immediate introduction between the cylinders,

I provide a special trough.36 mounted on the auxiliary frames 32, the trough being open at the bottom and having a pair of crushing rollers 37 for the preliminary breaking up of the material fed therethrough. The crushing rollers may be driven from the stub shaft 13 in any suitable manner.

p In use, the operator first opens the valve 25 and ignites the combustible mixture discharged through the perforations 18 to produce a flame playing against the inner surface of each cylinder. Next he starts the motor to cause the cylinders to rotate. 'After a desired heat has been obtained, say approximately 200 F., he begins feeding material from the top, between the two cylinders,

I either directly or from the crusher rollers 37.

surface or into a receptacle .or conveyor provided for that purpose.

.Proper positioning of thelperforations in the hollow shafts and of the point of the gas nozzle will result in the flame being properly centered with respect to the Cylinders to just extendfrom end to end, and to uniformly heat thecylinders without allowing active flames to escape from eithenend.

The flow of. air into the shafts around the gas pipes 19 is controlled by damper discs 19 threaded on said pipes 'for adjustment toward and away from the open ends of the shafts.

I claimi 1.' In a dehydrator, a hollow cylinder, a hollow-shaft mounted axially within the cylinder and having perforations in the wall thereof,'means for revolvably mounting the shaft, and means for playing a gas flame againstthe cylinder, comprising a nozzle projecting into the shaft from one end thereof and having means for'admitting a combustible gas for discharge through the perforations, the shaft'being open at said end for admitting air into the gas for supporting combustion.

2. In a dehydrator, a hollow cylinder, a hollow shaft mounted axially within the cylinder and having perforations in the Wall thereof, means for revolvably mounting the shaft, and means for playing a gas flame against the cylinder, comprising a nozzle projecting into the shaft from one end thereof and having means for admitting a combustible gas for discharge through the perforations, the shaft being open at said end for admitting air into the gas for supporting combustion, and the cylinder being open at both ends to allow the' products of combustion to escape therethrough.

3. In a dehydrator, a hollow cylinder, a hollow shaft mounted axiallywithin the cylinder and having perforations in the wall thereof, means for revolvably mounting the shaft, and means for playing a gas flame against the cylinder, comprising a nozzle projecting into the shaft from one end thereof and having means for admitting a combustible gas for discharge through-the perforations, the shaft being open at said end for admitting air into the gas for supporting combustion, and the cylinder being open at both ends-to allow-the products of-combustion to-escape therethrough, and theperforations in the shafts being arranged to stop short of the-ends of the cylinder to control escape of open flames through the ends of'the admitted.

-5. In a dehydrator, a hollow cylinder, a 'hollow shaft mounted axially within the cylinder andextending beyond both'endsthereof', and having perforations in an intermediate section of the wall thereof and spaced from both ends, means for revolvably mountingthe shaft, and means for playing a gas flame against the cylinder, comprising a nozzle projecting into the shaft from'one end thereof and having a discharge tip intermediate the length of the shaft and opposite the perforations, and means for admitting a combustible gas into the nozzle for discharge through theperforations, .the shaft being open' at one end for admitting air into the gas for supporting combustion.

6. In a dehydrator, a hollow'cylinder, ,a hollow shaft mounted axially within the cylinder and extending beyond both ends thereof, and having perforations in an inter mediate section of the Wall thereof and spaced fromboth ends, means for revolvably mounting the shaft, and means for playing a gas flame against the cylinder, comprising a nozzle projecting into the shaft from one end thereofand having a discharge tip intermediate the length ofthe'end opposite the perforations, and means for admitting a combustible gas into the. nozzle for discharge through the perforations, the shaft being open at one end foradmitting air into the gas for supporting combustion, and the spacing of the perforations being balanced with respect to the ends of the cylinder to prevent liveflame from belching through the open ends while allowing of escapev of the products of combustion through said open ends.

References Cited in theifile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

